1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for controlling a sleep mode to save power in a wireless mesh network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for controlling a sleep mode using a Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) map in order to save power.
2. Description of the Related Art:
It is expected that a wireless mesh network will present a new paradigm for the wireless network market which is ubiquitous in the modern era. A wireless mesh network is a kind of multi-hop ad-hoc network that connects fixed nodes to mobile nodes by radio links to support high-speed Internet in urban or other particular areas.
The wireless mesh network is designed to overcome the shortcoming of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) such as Hot-Spot, local coverage and limited network capacity by adopting the mesh network configuration of a wired network for a wireless network and thus achieving network reliability, expandability, and mobility. Besides, the features of the wireless mesh network including self-configuration, self-healing, wide bandwidth, and large coverage relative to a conventional WLAN structure make it possible to utilize the wireless mesh network in a variety of fields such as an intelligent traffic information system, future-generation wireless communications, and public safety.
Many techniques have been proposed to save power in the wireless mesh network. Among them, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11e defines a sleep mode during a service period for saving power. However, since this power saving technology suffers power consumption in transition between normal node and sleep mode, power saving resulting from the use of the sleep mode is insufficient.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method for controlling a sleep mode to save power in a wireless mesh network.